Two men found guilty of killing Army's Hayden Harris, dumping body in Sussex County woods
NEWTON — A Sussex County jury returned guilty verdicts on Wednesday against two men accused of kidnapping and killing 20-year-old Army corporal Hayden Harris and then dumping his body in the secluded woods of Byram Township.
Harris, a Tennessee native stationed at Fort Drum, New York, was found dead a week before Christmas Day in 2020 near a cul-de-sac in the northwestern New Jersey town.
After a day and a half of deliberations, the jury found fellow soldier Jamaal Mellish and alleged accomplice Hannan Aiken guilty on 11 counts, including murder, kidnapping, carjacking and unlawful possession of a weapon. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Aug. 4.
Harris' parents, sister and uncle, who had been in the courtroom for much of the five-week-long trial, shed tears and embraced friends of the slain soldier in attendance after the verdict was read. The family declined to comment afterwards.
"This is a tragic event in which the innocent life of Corporal Harris was savagely taken over a dispute regarding a vehicle transaction," acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "I would like to thank all of our law enforcement partners who worked collaboratively to bring about this just result."
Mellish's attorney, Joel Harris, chose not to provide a statement to the New Jersey Herald outside the courtroom, saying only, "the verdict speaks for itself." Thomas Militano, who represented Aiken, also declined to comment.
Mellish and Aiken showed little emotion as the jury rendered its decision. They were accused of shooting and killing Harris in Byram early on the morning of Dec. 18, 2020, after abducting him near the base in northern New York. Prosecutors said Harris met with the pair believing he would get back a Mustang he had previously traded to Mellish, when in reality Mellish had sold the vehicle months earlier.Mellish was 23 at the time of the killing, and Aiken was 16.
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Harris' executive officer, Capt. Steve Nava, testified on day four of the trial and detailed the frantic search that ensued after he learned Harris had gone missing. Nava eventually made contact with Mellish, who said he hadn't seen Harris.
Cell phone data presented at the trial showed Mellish and Aiken were on Ross Road in Byram, where Harris' body was found, shortly before 1 a.m. on Dec. 18 after a night-long drive that had started near Fort Drum. The evidence also included messages between Mellish and various acquaintances leading up to the murder, along with photos of Harris and images of guns that were deleted from Mellish's phone the day after the killing.
Harris had a passion for the U.S. Army, family friend Claire Hallissy said, and had joined in March 2019. He had been stationed at Fort Drum since July of that year and was promoted to corporal following his death.
The trial began May 22 and featured more than 350 pieces of evidence and 22 witnesses called to the stand, according to the prosecutor's office.
Jurors heard closing arguments last week from attorneys representing the defendants as well as Sussex County Assistant Prosecutor Sahil Kabse. State Superior Court Judge Michael Gaus read a 128-page charge to the jury on Monday, and the panel began deliberating later that afternoon.
Kyle Morel is a local reporter covering Morris and Sussex counties.
Email: kmorel@njherald.com; Twitter: @KMorelNJH
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Hayden Harris: Men guilty of Fort Drum murder, dumping body in NJ
